Instill
/ɪnˈstɪl/noun
To gradually introduce an idea, feeling, or habit into someone’s mind.
Did you know?Instill comes from Latin *instillare*, literally meaning to drip in, so the modern mental meaning is a direct metaphor from liquid entering a vessel.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*stei-
“to prick, stick, or make rigid”
Latin
Latin
stillāre
“to drip, trickle”
Latin
Latin
instillāre
“to drip in, drop in slowly”
Middle English
English
instillen
“to pour in by drops; to introduce gradually”
Modern English
English
instill
“to impart slowly or gradually, especially into the mind”